Intermittent catheters are generally catheters or tubes having a rounded tip connected to a distal end that is inserted into the bladder of a patient or user, and a molded funnel connected to a distal end that remains outside the body of the patient or user. These types of catheters are typically utilized on a temporary basis to remove urine from the bladder of a patient or user. The distal tip may include slots or openings on the shaft to facilitate drainage of urine therefrom once the tip is positioned inside the bladder. Pre-wetted intermittent catheters are intermittent catheters having a highly lubricious coating on an outer surface thereof, which are packaged or otherwise brought into contact with fluid in order to provide a catheter with a slippery outer surface to facilitate insertion into the patient or user.
The current offerings of pre-wetted intermittent catheters can be broken up into three broad categories. In the first type, the catheter is packaged in a dry environment, but contains a lubricious coating that requires a wetting fluid in order to become hydrated. The wetting fluid is obtained from an external source by the user (e.g., sink, bottled water, etc.) and the catheter is positioned within the wetting fluid for a period of time to become hydrated. Use of this first type of intermittent catheter may prove difficult in the event that drainage must be performed by the user when no clean water or wetting fluid is available. Moreover, sterility of the catheter may be compromised due to the handling of the catheter by the user as wetting fluid is applied and thereafter during insertion.
A second type of pre-wetted intermittent catheter is also packaged in a dry environment and contains a lubricious coating. However, in this second type, the wetting fluid is positioned in a pouch or container within the catheter package itself such that to hydrate the catheter, the pouch or container must be opened when the user is ready for insertion. As with the first type, this second type may be disadvantageous due to the requirement that the catheter be exposed to the wetting fluid for a period of time to ensure hydration of the lubricious coating and also due to the likelihood that sterility of the catheter will be compromised during insertion.
A third type of pre-wetted intermittent catheter is packaged in a wet environment (i.e., the catheter is exposed to a wetting fluid within the catheter package). This third type overcomes the problems of having to wait for the catheter coating to hydrate, but has drawbacks in that the user may have difficulty handling the catheter due to its slippery surface and may contaminate the catheter prior to insertion due to the handling thereof.
Additionally, current intermittent catheters may drain urine into a bag. Following bladder drainage into the bag, the bag may need to be inverted and a tear is made across a notch. Urine is then drained into a receptacle from that tear. Such a process can be slow, messy, and subject to urine spills.
Thus, there is a need for a pre-wetted intermittent catheter that addresses needs of the patient or user, is easy to use, is quick, clean, capable of use with or without a bag, and is capable of maintaining sterility during insertion procedures.